U.S. Election Day Transcends Borders On Facebook

People all over the U.S. were posting about either President Barack Obama or Republican challenger Mitt Romney on Facebook during Election Day. But buzz about ballots wasn't limited to the 50 states. Facebook released statistics Wednesday showing that the U.S. presidential election was popular in Canada, the U.K., and Australia.

People all over the U.S. were posting about either President Barack Obama or Republican challenger Mitt Romney on Facebook during Election Day. But buzz about ballots wasn’t limited to the 50 states. Facebook released statistics Wednesday showing that the U.S. presidential election was popular in Canada, the U.K., and Australia.

Facebook measured discussion about the election with its Talk Meter, rating terms on a 1-10 scale. While the election had a 9.27 rating in America (the highest score of the year, topping Super Bowl XLVI and Hurricane Sandy), it received an 8.28 rating in countries outside of the U.S., with Canada, Australia, and U.K. users talking about it the most.

For comparison, the 2008 election rated out at 8.95 among U.S. users.

Most of the people talking about the election Tuesday were younger Facebook users (age 18 to 35), a change from the campaign season, when older users dominated the conversation.

The discussion around Election Day was a bit higher for men (9.39) than women (9.19). Among men, users aged 25 to 34 had a Talk Meter rating of 9.47, and those 35 to 44 scored a 9.44. The top score for women came in the 25-to-34 age bracket (9.27), followed by 35 to 44 (9.21).

Washington, D.C., led the chatter Tuesday, with a rating of 9.54, followed by Mississippi with 9.40, Virginia with 9.38, Maryland with 9.37, and Minnesota with 9.36. Delaware (9.35), Alabama (9.35), Louisiana (9.34), Massachusetts (9.32), and Wisconsin (9.3) rounded out the top 10.

Now to the candidates, starting with newly re-elected Obama:

Obama

Obama scored an 8.41 — one point higher than his highest score from election season (a 7.41 from the first presidential debate). Buzz about Obama was slightly higher for men (8.56) than women (8.32), and the discussion definitely trended higher with younger users. The top score for men was age 18 to 24 (8.66), followed by age 25 to 34 (8.60). The top score for women was age 18 to 24 (8.54), followed by age 25 to 34 (8.37).

Romney scored a 7.83 — nearly half a point higher than his highest score from election season (a 7.38 from the first presidential debate). Men were talking about the former Massachusetts governor more than women (8.06 vs. 7.66). The top score for men was age 18 to 24 (8.13) followed by age 25 to 34 (8.07). The top score for women was age 18 to 24 (7.86) followed by age 25 to 34 (7.63).